Powder container and applicator



Dec. 17, 1940.

U. Q. TAINT N POWDER CONTAINER AND APPLICATOR Filed June 4, 195a gwum'vboo Patented Dec. 17,1940

V "UNITED STATES .Pi-rmomer 2 Claims.

The present application is a'continuation in part of an application for patent for powder containers and applicators filed by me April .5, 1934, Serial No. 719,204, now abandoned.

The invention relates to a powder container and applicator device for applying a powder to surfaces in which a combined application of the powder and rubbing action is desired. It is particularly suitable for the application of cleaning powder to. fabrics or other materialsfor removal of spots or stains caused by water, oils, grease, fruit juices or the like to avoid the formation of rings or residual stains. It is an object of the present invention to provide a highly efficient cleaning powder container and applicator device of great value and designed for cleaning silks, woolens, felt hats, clothing and other i'abrics, and embodying both 9. container for cleaning powder and means for rubbing thecleaningpowder onto and into and out oi the article to be cleaned, andpossessing erosive properties whereby during the cleaning operation the surface to be cleaned will be subjected to both the cleaning action of the cleaning pow- 2 5 der and the'erasive action or the rubber without liability of injuring the most delicate fabrics or other surfaces.- The device may also be employed for the application of powders for other purposes such as toilet uses, dusting powders and such.

A further object of the invention is to provide a cleaning powder container-and applicator of this character comprising a receptacle for a cleaning powder and a soft sponge rubber adapt ed to form a closure for the receptacle and capae his of permitting the cleaning powder to pass through its pores or openings for applying the cleaning powder to the surface to be cleaned and which avill'also possess eraslve properties so that when it is rubbed over the surface to which the Powder has been applied the surface will 'be cleaned both by the action of the powder and the erasive properties of the rubber.

It is known in the art to use sponge rubber for the purpose of cleaning fabrics but this sufiers from the disability that the sponge rubber very quickly becomes dirty or soiled and merely serves to distribute the dirt over the surface. In the present device by combining a cleaning powder with the sponge rubber the dirt is transferred to the powder from the rubber surface which is thus kept continuously inclean condition.

1 Another object of the invention is to provide a powder container andapplicator provided with a soft sponge rubber or similar porous elastic 5d medium having an interconnecting cellular struc- *ture or passages and capable of permitting powtier-to pass through its pores or openings for applying. powder to surfaces and having a separate valve means tor controlling the feed of powder to the sponge rubber. and for also closing the receptacle'ior preventing any powder from feeding .in the form, proportion, and minor details-ofconstruction, within the scopeni the claims, may

be resorted towithout departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof.

In the drawing: Fig. l is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of a cleaning powdercontainer and applicator constructed in-accordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the top of the device.

. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the cleaning powder container and applicator.

Fig.4 lsa reverse plan View illustrating the bottom of the device.

Fig.6 isavertical longitudinal sectional view illustrating a simpler form of the cleaning powder container and applicator Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the cleaning powder. container-and applicator shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of an applicator and container illustrating another form of the invention; more particularly the design for the use in the field or dry cleaning powders.

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of the device shown inFlt. '1.

Fig. 9 is a reverse plan view of the applicator and container shown iniFig. 7.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, l designates a soft sponge rubber which is glued or otherwise tightly and securely fastened around its lower periphery to an outer portion or member of a slip valve which comprises the said outer portion 2 and an inner portion 4. The inner portion of thevalve consists substantially of a flat disk provided with an outlet opening 3 and having a depending annular flange l" which receives the upper edge of a cleaning powder con-- tamer and is crimped around the same, as clearly illustrated in 1 oi. the drawing. The

cleaning powder container 6 which may be of any desired construction and size is designed to be provided with a neck 6' constricted at its intermediate portion to provide a flaring outer portion around and beneath which extends the crimped flange 4* of the inner portion of the slip valve. The outer portion of the slip valve consists essentially of a flat disk provided with an opening I and having a marginal annular flange 2 within which flts the lower periphery of the .spongerubber l and to which the said sponge rubber is glued or otherwise secured. The flange 2' may be crimped to clamp the rubber between the flange and the portion 2 but pins or any other suitable fastening means may, of course, be employed for this purpose. v

' The opening I in the upper or outer the slip valve is adapted to be brought into alignment with the opening I in the inner or lower portion 4 of the slip valve by simply turningthe outer portion 2 between the thumb and forefinger. The opening 5 may be brought into register with the opening 3 to a greater or less degree to provide an outlet aperture for the cleaning powder. of the desired size and the said openings may be carried away from each other so that tie valve will form a closure to prevent any of the powder from escaping from the container. By a simple turning movement or operation of the valve the receptacle may be closed and the sponge rubber may be used to brush the powder from the fabric and at the same time the erasive properties of the sponge rubber will assist in the removal of a spot or stain.

The powder container 8 may be provided at the bottom with a rotary valve similar to that heretofore described and composed of an inner portion I having an outlet opening 8 and an outer portion 9 provided with an outlet [0. The container 8 is preferably provided at its lower end with an exteriorly arranged annular groove 6' and the inner portion I of the valve consists of a disk provided with a marginal flange 1 which is crimped or extended into the annular groove 6", as clearly illustrated in.Fig. 1 of the drawing.

The lower member or portion 9 of the bottom valve is provided with an annular flange 9 pref-- size may be readily provided by adjusting the lower rotary member of the bottom valve. This will enable any desired amount of the powder II to be discharged from the container for enabling the same to be rapidly applied to the surface or article to be cleaned. The marginal flanges of the rotary members of the upper and lower valves are preferably of polygonal formation at their outer faces to enable them to be readily grasped and rotated for operating the valves.

By providing a construction thus far described,

a device is provided which is an efllcient powder applicator and an attractive container. The device may be effectively used as a container and applicator for cleaning powders and other powders and as an applicator for feeding such pow ders through the sponge rubber or an analogous porous elastic medium having an interconnecting portion of cellular structure or other passages. The upper and lower slip valves form effective closures for both the upper and lower ends of the container and when closed there will be no leakage of powder through the valves.

a It may effectively be used when large quantities of powder are desired by opening the lower slip valve and discharging the desired amount of the dry cleaner powder upon the soiled fabric without necessitating the passing of the powder through the sponge rubber. It may effectively be used to rub and distribute the powder into the fabric by opening the upper slip valve and rubbing the sponge rubber end down upon the fabric which operation allows powder tosift through the sponge rubber. The cellular structure of the sponge rubber provides means which through the collapsing and opening of the cells causes the powder to slit or feed through the sponge rubber eeding and erasive closure head of the device. The nature of the sponge and the size of the interstices must be adapted to the type of powder who used so asto allow the powder to feed through at the required rate. Instead of the sponge rubber any other porous elastic medium having an interconnecting cell structure or other passages may be employed for feeding powder from the container. The device may effectively be used to remove the excess powder from the fabric by a brushing action with the sponge rubber against the fabric when the upper slip valve is closed.

Referring now particularly to Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawingwhich illustrate a simpler form of the invention, ll designates the sponge rubber which is glued or cemented around its lower periphery at ii to the container I! which contains the cleaning powder II. The container I2 is preferably provided with a central and annular constricted neck I! which provides a flaring sup port for the sponge rubber II, and if desired any suitable cover such as a slip or screw cap may be furnished with the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, to cover the sponge rubber when the dry cleaner applicator is not in use.

By employing sponge rubber through which a good adsorbent and absorbent may be sifted through the sponge rubber while rubbing on the fabric. a more eflicient stain and spot removing means is thereby provided. The sponge or soft rubber not only distributes the cleaning powder but through its erasive properties also enters into the absorption of the stain itself similar to an eraser when used to remove a pencil mark from paper. Also the sponge rubber or equivalent material having an interconnecting cellular structure or other passages is adapted for feeding powders for other purposes such as toilet uses, dusting powders and the like.

The sponge rubber may be applied to any ordinary container having a screw cap by securing it to the screw cap and providing an opening in the top of the cap to permit a dry cleaner to sift through the sponge rubber.

In the modification illustrated in Figs. 7 to 9, inclusive, of the drawing the cleaning powder container l6 which is of cylindrical form is provided at the bottom with a means for brushing off powder, consisting of a piece I! of plush or similar material having short fibers or bristles. The piece ll of plush or other brushing means may be secured to the bottom of the container by an adhesive or any other suitable means. The sponge rubber l8 constituting the feeding and erasive means may be secured to the upper end of the container I6 in any suitable manner. The container 1 6 as illustrated is provided at the upper end with interior screw threads I9 to receive a depending exteriorly threaded flange of an annular sponge rubber supporting member 2| having a central opening 22 to permit powder contained within the receptacle l 6 to flow to the powder feeding and erasive head l8. The threaded connection between the sponge supporting member 2i and the container l6 will enable the sponge rubber to be readily removed for filling and refilling the receptacle.

An important feature of the device is the proper control of the rate of the powder flow. While the valve may be employed for this purpose the sponge rubber may also be utilized for controlling the rate of powder flow and will be found most economical since mechanical means for doing this is more or less expensive and increases the cost of the device. In'order that the powder may sift through the sponge rubber, or other analogous material, the pores of the sponge rubber or other material must be at least to some extent interconnected, as sponge rubber which consists of closed cells individually separated from one another would not be suitable for this purpose. By varying the porosity of the sponge rubber the rate of the sifting of the cleaning powder through the sponge rubber may be varied. When the device is provided with sponge rubber having the desired porosity for controlling the 'rate of flow of the cleaning powder, a valve may or may not be employed. The valve when employed will enable the flow of the powder to be completely shutoff when the device is not in use.

i It has been found by experience that with devices having a sponge rubber control for the powder flow, that about 1.5 milligrams of powder discharged for each square inch of rubber surface is ample for good operation when the device is used with a stroke of about two inches. For

efiective cleaning and also for economy in the use of the cleaning powder the sponge rubber control and the valve control when the latter is used should be such that not less than oneiifth of the said amount of the cleaning powder nor more than five times that amount should be discharged in the cleaning operation of the device. Any other desired rate of powder flow may, of course, be employed to adapt the cleaning powder and applicator to the particular work for which it may be designed.

What is claimed is:

1. A powder container having soft porous elastic powder-feeding means having an interconnecting cellular structure and through which powder may be sifted to apply powder .to a surface, the cellular structure of the porous elastic feeding means having sufficient interconnecting cells operating through the collapsing and opening of the cells to cause powder to feed through the feeding means.

2. A cleaning powder container and applica-.

tor comprising a container designed to contain cleaning powder, and an erasive soft porous sponge-like rubbing element carried by the container and through which the cleaning powder may be sifted to apply the powder to the surface to be cleaned and which rubbing element is adapted for use as a stain and spot eraser, whereby in the cleaning operation the surface to be cleaned will be subjected to the adsorbing and absorbing properties of the cleaning powder and simultaneously to the erasive properties of the rubbing element, the cellular structure of the sponge-like rubbing element having suiflcient interconnecting cells operating through the collapsing and opening of the cells to cause the powder to feed through the sponge-like rubbing element.

URLYN c. TAINTON. 

